good pistol for the money

[SHELBS44]

Figured I would ask on here. I sold my old ruger 9mm a few years ago and am now in the market for a good pistol that doesn't break the bank after having a guy try to pull me over that wasn't a real cop. once I stepped out of the car cause it didn't seem right to me he jumped back in his car and hauled ass. might have been due to seeing my 6ft 6 270 lb frame come into view he ran but either way looking for just a good personal defense pistol to stay in the car at all times. any suggestions? would like to stay in the 300 - 500 dollar range but be good and reliable. thinking of a 40 cal to a 45 cal

 

[muddinmetal]

Opinions are like assholes, but let me give you mine which I believe to be a fact: If you want more than 8 rounds in the mag, The S&W M&P is the way to go. Pick it up next to a glock, xd, diamond back fs, etc etc, you'll see what I mean instantly

 

[joho75287]

Opinions are like assholes,

True statement...
I do agree and like M&Ps...have 3 or 4 of em. I was a glock guy for the longest and hated S&W...but they hit the mark with the M&P series.

 

[SHELBS44]

thanks for the feed back ill look into them tonight when I get off work

 

[bgredjeep]

Just go to a good gun shop and see what you like. I've got friends that shoot M&Ps. They don't fit my hands well. Not sure what it is, but it pressed into my palm weird. I've got a couple Glock 9mm (19 and 26) that I love. As long as you get what you are comfortable with, and practice with what you are going to carry you'll be fine. Don't cheap out too much. You do want to make sure whatever you get will actually fire when you really need it.

 

[jayphizzle]

Another very satisfied M&P customer! As far as the palm fitment, mine all came with three different handle inserts to fit as you like. Even bought my wife a 9mm sub-compact M&P and she loves it.

 

[money_pit_yj]

I love the M&Ps. I have a 1911PD which is the S&W 1911 in 45ACP and it is nice, not a good carry gun since it weighs a metric ton, but it has cycled every janky reload and fancy new round I have ever put through it, and it will drive tacks if you can handle it. Plus if you run out of ammo it is very useful to pistol whip a fool! The M&P line has always performed well and is priced right. The Springfield XD line is good and affordable as well, but the M&P fit my hand better.

 

[onepieceatatime]

Re:

I'm a GLOCK guy myself.

 

[SHELBS44]

hand fitment will be what sells me I loved my old ruger p45 I think it was could be wrong been a few years but it fit my hands perfect cause I have big hands but at the same time it jammed on cheap ammo pay 3 more bucks a box and it would cycle all day long

 

[bigbchevy]

Springfield xd sc9

 

[sparepartsdave]

go to a range and rent several, find one that points instinctively and you feel comfortable with

 

[FM5332FF]

Glock. They are dependable, and carried by many law enforcement agencies.

 

[jta]

You really can'r go wrong with any of the big name polymer guns. Just pick the one you shoot the best. I have the glock 26, 19 and 17 myself. Since you are a bigger guy you could go with Springfield XD guns and save some money, after the XDm came out the price on those went down a little.

 

[muddinmetal]

Re: Re: good pistol for the money

 

[Stretch]

All personal preference. So go handle a bunch and figure out which one you like and feels the best to you. We have a range near us that will rent for a small fee + whatever ammo you use so I burned through a few different ones before figuring out I was most comfortable and accurate with the XD pistols. Owned 2 4" Service Model XD9's and now an XDS45. I don't own a ton of guns because I don't see the point of something I don't shoot on a regular basis, but the ones I do own, I want to be proficient with. If you're looking for a cheap truck gun, just get an entry level 1911 of some sort. I had a ATI model knocking around for a while and liked it a lot. It functioned just as good if not better than my old roommates Springfield GI model.

 

[TacomaJD]

I'll never not own a Glock. They work and have a solid rep. I have a generation 3 Glock model 22 .40 caliber (full size) 15+1 capacity, with a Nebo LED tactical light on it and Trijicon night sights. I may trade around on other brands, but I'll have that gun for the rest of my life, basically.

 

[TacomaJD]

There is also a much better resale market for Glocks. You can always sell a Glock and get good money for it.

 

[09zkrankin]

Re:

Another vote for glock, I had a g23 .40 cal and loved it. I also have a keltec that I carry some but it's a wrist breaker so I don't shoot it much. Whatever you buy make sire it's something that you are comfortable with and can afford to shoot a lot of rounds through it so if the time comes where you need it you are well practiced

 

[scrowexj]

I also like the glocks and the Springfield... but on the cheaper gun I have a tarus pt111 millennium pro and have never had a problem out of it. It has never let me down. for the money I like it alot and would buy another one any day

 

[TacomaJD]

I also like the glocks and the Springfield... but on the cheaper gun I have a tarus pt111 millennium pro and have never had a problem out of it. It has never let me down. for the money I like it alot and would buy another one any day

I've had a couple Taurus handguns, all performed well. They make good guns, the trigger pull is usually just a lot stoughter than other brands.

I also had a S&W Sigma .40 caliber, which is like a knockoff to a full size Glock, and it was a really good gun. They were only like $300 new, so you could pick up a used one pretty cheap. I believe glock actually sued S&W when they made that gun, because they copied so much of the Glock design. I'm not sure for 100% functionality, because I never tried firing it, but I know the slides will interchange between the Glock and the S&W. If I wanted a good cheap truck gun, the S&W Sigma series is probably the route I'd go if it were me, just because I know they are dependable and cheap.